BRIEF HISTORY OF THE
142^d REGIMENT,
PENNSYLVANIA VOLUNTEER INFANTRY

Grave, in the Stroudsburg, PA Cemetary, of Major William K Haviland (1831 - 1915), first commander of Company G	Col Horatio N Warren, Last Commander of the  142d Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Regiment

 On the day following its organization, the 142^d was ordered to Washington, and upon its arrival, was employed upon the construction of Fort Massachusetts, afterwards Fort Stevens, and in digging rifle-pits and cutting down the forest in its front. After completing this work, upon which it was engaged until past the middle of the month, it moved to Frederick, Maryland, where it was engaged in guarding the town, erecting hospital tents, and in caring for the wounded, from the bloody fields of South Mountain and Antietam.

 Early in October, the regiment was ordered to report to General Meade, in command of the Pennsylvania Reserves, which then formed the Third Division of the First Corps. The division was deployed to Fredericksburg, and the 142^d prepared to go into battle. Colonel Cummins was sick and in the hospital, but when he heard that a battle was imminent, he hastened to the front, arriving at the field just as the fight was beginning. The 142^d found itself pinned down by heavy Confederate fire and unable to return fire due to a misunderstanding on the part of the brigade commander. Out of five hundred fifty men who advanced, two hundred fifty were stricken down in one hour. Colonel Cummins had his horse shot out from under him, and Major Bradley received a mortal wound.

 After this disaster, the 142^d went into winter quarters at Belle Plain Landing. Except for participating in the infamous Mud March, it remained undisturbed until the middle of February, when General Hooker took command of the army and made a complete reorganization. The Reserves, of which the 142^d were still a part, were withdrawn to the defenses of Washington.

 The spring campaign opened towards the end of April, 1863, and the 142^d fought at Chancellorsville. Heavy fighting did not reach the 142^d's part of the line, and after three days the regiment returned to its old camping ground. Here it remained until the march commenced which ended at Gettysburg. On the first day of the battle at Gettysburg the 142^d tried to hold off the Confederates at Herr's Ridge and MacPherson's Woods where General Reynolds was killed, then slowly retreated past the Seminary, and through the town, under heavy rebel fire all the while, to the Cemetery. Colonel Cummins fell mortally wounded. At the cemetery, less than one hundred men were in rank. During the night, about forty more men who had gotten separated from the regiment rejoined their comrades.

 On 2 July, the 142^d was held in reserve just back of the cemetery, on the Taneytown Road. On the third of July, they were posted mid way between the cemetery and Round Top, where they came under the extremely heavy rebel artillery bombardment which preceded Pickett's Charge, but their position was to the left of the Confederate advance, so they suffered little loss then. The regiment's loss at Gettysburg was fifteen killed, one hundred and twenty-six wounded, and eighty-four missing or taken prisoner, for a total loss of two hundred and twenty five.

 After Gettysburg, the 142^d spent nearly two months in comparatively little inactivity. Then there were two more months of maneuvering and hard marching before the army went to winter quarters around Culpeper, Virginia. Near Christmas the I Corps was broken up, and the 142^d became part of the V Corps.

 On 4 May, 1864 the regiment headed into the Wilderness Campaign. Despite heavy losses, the 142^d held its part of the line from noon until the end of the day on 5 May, when it was finally forced to retire. On the morning of the 6th, although in reserve, the brigade to which the 142^d belonged made a counterattack and forced the Confederates from the position they had taken.

Following the Wilderness, the regiment moved to Spottsylvania Court House, where it was subjected to heavy artillery fire. On the 21st it moved on, and at North Anna River, Bethesda Church (Tolopotomy Creek) it was at the forefront of the fighting, and by its gallantry, won from General Cutler a flattering recognition.

 On the 6th of June the brigade arrived at Cold Harbor, where it was transferred to the First Division under General Joshua Chamberlain. It spent a week in the swamps of the Chickahominy, then moved on towards Petersburg. It made several raids on the Weldon Railroad, destroying it for a distance of twenty miles, fought at Peeble's Farm, and then went again into winter quarters.

 With the exception of a sharp action on the 6th of February, 1865, in which the regiment suffered considerable loss, it remained in winter quarters until the opening of the spring campaign. On the 30th of March it moved from camp, along the Quaker Road, and pushed the enemy back from the Boydton Plank Road. On April 1st, the 142^d again came in contact with the rebels at Five Forks, where they again suffered heavily. However, the enemy was routed, and many prisoners were taken.

 Soon the entire rebel army was in full retreat, and after eight days of rapid marching, General Lee surrendered. The 142^d was present at the Confederate surrender at Appomattox Court House. After a halt of two weeks, where the regiment was placed in charge of rebel property, it proceeded to Petersburg, and thence through Richmond to the neighbourhood of Washington. On the 29th of May, 1865, it was mustered out of service.